Friday, March 13, 2015

The Scale Cycle

I came across the infographic below from Green Mountain, a retreat center focused on health and weight loss. I think it eloquently and clearly captures the possible biological and psychological impacts of weighing yourself.

Photo credit: http://rebloggy.com/blog/kaitlynishappy
I'm not anti-scale; in fact, I think everyone who struggles to maintain or lose weight needs a reliable measure like a scale, tape measure, or even an outfit (time to take notice when it gets too tight!). But, I definitely think people can go overboard with weighing in.

There are many reasons why your weight can fluctuate from day to day. Your body is designed to retain fluid during muscle recovery after lifting or toning exercises and when you're dehydrated. If you let the number on the scale dictate your mood (which, I hope it doesn't!), you can drive yourself crazy worrying about minor ups and downs that in the end aren't actually a reflection of your eating and exercise.


Photo credit: fitwoman.com
 
What do you think of the Scale Cycle?

3 comments:

  1. Truth to that infographic. However, I am sometimes guilty of weighing in too much -- even though I understand how it all works.

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  2. I put the scale away for long time... maybe a year? Don't know exactly. Now I try to keep it to once or twice a month. I check in with an accountability partner on the 1st and 15th. We also measure, and honestly I see the measurements go up or down depending on my goal more than I see the scale go down. Doing both reminds me that number isn't everything.

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  3. Thanks for your comments! I know many people become dependent on the scale... it's such an easy tool to use. But, I agree, measuring is really important to get a better picture of your health.

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